Flood-like situation in north Bengal, rivers hit danger levels in several Bihar districts amid incessant rain

New Delhi, July 7

Many low-lying areas in West Bengal’s sub-Himalayan region were reeling from a flood-like situation while major rivers in Bihar were flowing above the danger level at several places as unabated heavy rain lashed the country’s eastern parts on Sunday.

In Assam, where 29 districts were affected by severe floods, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited relief camps in Kamrup to take stock of supplies and facilities provided to the inmates.

Altogether, nearly 24 lakh people in 107 revenue circles and 3,535 villages remained affected by the floods, according to official information.

Several rivers, including the Brahmaputra and the Barak, were flowing above the danger mark in many places.

In West Bengal, heavy rain is likely till July 12 in the sub-Himalayan districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Coochbehar and Alipurduar, the Met office said.

Officials said traffic movement to and from Sikkim was being regulated through other routes.

The water levels of the Teesta and the Korola rivers were also being monitored, they said.

Several places in Dhupguri, Moynaguri and Kranti in Jalpaiguri district, apart from the headquarters town, were affected by the torrential rain.

Jalpaiguri town recorded 166 mm rainfall in 24 hours till 8:30 am while Bagdogra received 103 mm.

In Bihar, the water resources department said in a bulletin that heavy rain lashing various parts of Bihar in a 24-hour period caused major rivers to flow above the danger level at many places.

The Bagmati touched the danger mark in Sitamarhi, Muzaffarpur, Sheohar, Aurai and Suppi and adjoining areas.

In Gopalganj and Sidhwalia, the Gandak was flowing above the danger mark till 8 am.

The Kamla Balan touched the danger mark in Madhubani, Lakhnaur and Jhanjharpur. The Kamla was also flowing above the danger mark in certain areas of Madhubani and Jainagar, the bulletin said.

In Araria, the Parman was flowing above the danger mark, the Mahananda crossed the danger mark in Purnea and Baisi.

The Kosi and the Lal Bakeya touched warning levels in Khagaria, Beldaur and Sitamarhi and its adjoining areas.

In Uttar Pradesh’s Shravasti district, 12 women working in a field and their children were rescued from floodwaters amid a rise in water levels in many rivers at several places as the monsoon gathered pace in the state, an official report said.

Water levels of several rivers rose in many areas of Kushinagar, Balrampur and Shravasti districts, triggering floods and flood-like situations.

According to a report from the Relief Commissioner’s Office, water level of the Gandak river in Kushinagar crossed the danger mark.

It said 66 people were trapped by floodwaters on an island in the district’s Narayanpur area. Of them, 62 people were rescued and an operation was underway to bring the remaining four to safety.

The Rapti river crossed the danger mark in Shravasti, affecting 18 villages. The river passes the danger level in Balrampur as well, leading to floods.

In Maharashtra, the National Disaster Response Force rescued 49 people from a waterlogged resort in Thane and 16 villagers in Palghar amid heavy rain, officials said.

The Uttarakhand government, meanwhile, suspended the Char Dham Yatra following prediction of heavy to very heavy rain in the Garhwal region on July 7-8.

Heavy rain in parts of Uttarakhand over the past few days triggered landslides in the hills with the highway to Badrinath blocked at a number of points by rubble.

Two pilgrims from Hyderabad were killed on Saturday after being hit by boulders falling from the hillside following a landslide in Karnaprayag of Chamoli district.

The rivers were also in spate with the Alaknanda flowing near the danger mark at Vishnu Prayag near Joshimath.

Taranagar in Rajasthan’s Churu district recorded 141 mm rainfall in a 24-hour period while Surot in Karauli registered 131 mm as heavy rain continued to batter the state.

Light to moderate rainfall was recorded at many places in eastern Rajasthan and some places in western Rajasthan in the 24 hours that ended at 8:30 am, a Met official said.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall was recorded at some places in Churu, Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Dausa, Karauli, Jaipur and Dungarpur districts.

Light rain was recorded in a few parts of Himachal Pradesh, with the regional Met office issuing an alert for low-to-moderate flash flood risk in isolated parts of Shimla, Kangra and Chamba districts in the next 24 hours.

The Met office has also issued a ‘yellow’ alert for heavy rain, thunderstorm and lightning at isolated places on July 10-11.

In the 24 hours ended at 5 pm, Rampur received 33 mm rainfall, followed by Sarahan (11 mm), Shimla (9 mm), Wangtoo and Jubbarhatti (8 mm each), and Chauri and Bajaura (5 mm each).